Further tiered armor/weapons/mobs need to be released simultaneously in patches. Keep this in mind. To release metal armor now, without more access to resourcs for better weapons and more challenging mobs, will throw off all of the work done to re-balancing.

In short, these things need to happen in big patches all together. Be patient for the sake of balance. Folks who took farming/music/handling/other-crafts just out of the gate still have nothing.